Reports released Friday showed a mixed picture of the economy, with consumers still feeling pinched but business activity picking up.


Confidence among American consumers declined in June to the lowest level this year as they grew more pessimistic about prospects for the economy. In addition, consumer spending stalled in May as slower job gains and a lack of wage growth prompted Americans to cut back.


But another survey showed that business activity expanded in June at a faster pace than expected.


The final numbers for the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment fell to 73.2 this month from 79.3 in May. The gauge was projected to hold at the preliminary reading of 74.1, according to the median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.


Unemployment exceeding 8 percent for 40 consecutive months is limiting wage growth and restraining household spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy. At the same time, Europe’s debt crisis is prompting volatility in the stock market, making Americans feel less wealthy.


Estimates for the Michigan confidence measure ranged from 72 to 76, according to the Bloomberg survey. The June decline was the first in 10 months. The index averaged 64.2 during the last recession and 89 in the five years before the 18-month economic slump that ended in June 2009.


A Commerce Department report on consumer spending showed purchases unchanged, the weakest since November. Revised figures for April showed a weak rise of just 0.1 percent, smaller than initially reported. The median estimate of 75 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for no change.


“Consumers are struggling with a lack of income growth, and the consequence is spending is suffering,” said Ward McCarthy, chief financial economist at Jefferies & Company in New York, who forecast stagnant spending. “The decline in gasoline prices, especially if it continues, will provide some relief going forward, but income growth is the impediment right now.”


Incomes climbed 0.2 percent for a second month in May, matching the median projection in the Bloomberg survey. The figure was helped by rental and proprietors’ incomes. Wages and salaries were unchanged in May, the weakest in six months, after a 0.1 percent rise.


Adjusting consumer spending for inflation, which renders the figure used to calculate gross domestic product, purchases rose 0.1 percent for a second month.


A measure of business activity, however, showed a surprise in expansion in June. The Institute for Supply Management-Chicago said Friday that its business activity barometer increased to 52.9 from 52.7 in May. A reading of 50 is the dividing line between growth and contraction. Economists had projected the purchasing managers’ gauge would decline to 52.3, according to the median of 51 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey.


The report contrasts with other regional figures this month that showed manufacturing was cooling.